Jason Derulo Whatcha Say Chord Progression Help! :s

[k3ith]

Hey KVR,

I've been venturing into music theory for a little over a year or so now, but for the life of me, I just can't figure out why this Jason Derulo "Whatcha Say" chord progression works...

Please can somebody help me understand why this works...

Chords in Key (E Major)!
--------------------------
1. E
2. F#m
3. G#m
4. A
5. B
6. C#m
7. D#o

For example, the chorus goes like this...

E-------------------B
Mmmm whatcha say,

-----------------G#m---------F#
Mmm that you only meant well? Well of course you did...

E-------------------B
Mmmm whatcha say,

-------------------G#m-----F#
Mmmm that it's all for the best? Of course it is...

My question is... where does the F# Major come from? Would I be right in thinking that the F# Major is coming from a backdoor progression?

It's not the song I'm interested in, I just wanna understand how it is working. Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated!

Take care,
k3ith

[tapper mike]

The circle of 5ths is not a chord progression it is a study of all scales.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_fifths

The Key of E is what you have presented
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatonic_scale

In rock/pop/blues one can subsitute a major chord for a minor one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chord_substitution

[k3ith]

The circle of 5ths is not a chord progression it is a study of all scales.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_fifths

The Key of E is what you have presented
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatonic_scale

In rock/pop/blues one can subsitute a major chord for a minor one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chord_substitution

01. I know the circle of fifths is not a chord progression.
02. I know what key I have presented.
03. I know (a little bit) about chord substitution.

I want to know the theory behind why the F# Major works in this progression. Not just a link to loads of wikipedia entries.

As always, useful replies are also welcome... :p

k3ith

[tapper mike]

I have already explained this

In rock/pop/blues one can subsitute a major chord for a minor one.

In the key Of E the F# chord is a minor chord it's also known as the ii chord.
Because one can subsitute (replace) a minor chord (F#m) with a majore chord (F#) works.


You stated

Please can somebody help me understand why this works...


Circle of Fifths (E Major)!
---------------------------
1. E
2. F#m
3. G#m
4. A
5. B
6. C#m
7. D#o

That is not the circle of Fifths nor is it a progression. If you know what the circle of fifths is why did you incorrectly assocate it with chord names/scale tones for the key of E?
Even then it wasn't presented in 5ths


and yet you included the circle of 5ths in your statement.

[Ogg Vorbis]

I checked the song and here's what I think...

It's actually in the key of B.

The chorus (E to B) sounds like a plagal cadence to me ("Amen").

The F# to B confirms to my ear that we've landed on the tonic.

Hope that gives you something to go on.

[k3ith]

I have already explained this

In rock/pop/blues one can subsitute a major chord for a minor one.

In the key Of E the F# chord is a minor chord it's also known as the ii chord.
Because one can subsitute (replace) a minor chord (F#m) with a majore chord (F#) works.


You stated

Please can somebody help me understand why this works...


Circle of Fifths (E Major)!
---------------------------
1. E
2. F#m
3. G#m
4. A
5. B
6. C#m
7. D#o

That is not the circle of Fifths nor is it a progression. If you know what the circle of fifths is why did you incorrectly assocate it with chord names/scale tones for the key of E?
Even then it wasn't presented in 5ths


and yet you included the circle of 5ths in your statement.

Oops... just realised that I wrote Circle of Fifths above that. I know that isn't the circle of fifths nor a chord progression. They are just chords (albeit in their simplest form) in the key of E Major.

Also, thanks alot for the words on chord substitutions. I shall be doing further reading on the subject in the coming days.

I checked the song and here's what I think...

It's actually in the key of B.

The chorus (E to B) sounds like a plagal cadence to me ("Amen").

The F# to B confirms to my ear that we've landed on the tonic.

Hope that gives you something to go on.

Ogg Vorbis, you sir, are absoloutly 100% right. The song is actually in the key of B Major using a 4-1-6-5 chord progression. Hence, the plagal cadence. God... I feel like such a douchebag for not spotting it myself.

Again, thanks for the help,
k3ith

[A.M. Gold]

I think this chorus progression might be a little confusing since it starts on IV, but other than that, it's a pretty standard one key progression. Pretty, though.

You may have been thrown off if the verse is in E but the chorus is in B. Not sure, since I don't know the song that well.